Annie says, >I have been quite surprised at the lack of comments from folks about last >Saturday's Neighborhood Conference.
OK Annie-- here goes! I was in attendance at most of last Saturdays event. The Center for Neighborhoods, the events main sponsor, did a good job planning, organizing and implementing the entire event. The many booths were well stocked with literature and other display materials. They had good workshop topics, many knowledgeable speakers, and they did a good job on publicity. Location was also good, with plenty of parking and major bus routes nearby; and the weather was very cooperative, although I found myself looking out the large windows on the gorgeous sunny day more than once. I also met many old friends I hadn't seen in awhile, and that's always a treat. I attended the 'Safe, Healthy and Efficient Buildings' and "Community Gardening, Urban Agriculture and Forestry' workshops and found both to be very interesting. In the 'Safe, Healthy and Efficient Buildings' workshop I found discussion of the economics of modular building techniques and re-use of materials very interesting, along with the carriage house concept-- I hope city housing/zoning folks take a good look at the possibilities. Lead also remains a problem for us to deal with in the city. In the 'Community Gardening...' session, I found the most interesting topic to be the transitory nature of community gardens due to reliance on vacant lands that suddenly are reclaimed for use-- usually housing. How about allocating MPRB lands for community gardening projects throughout the city? Get more folks out in our parklands, and realize more tangible benefit from our parklands! Young and old get involved in productive community activities, meet their neighbors, save money and eat healthy... a real win-win, seems to me. Urban lands owned by non-profits and religious groups also represent opportunity for urban gardens and community outreach. On a critical note, I was put off by the many references (in efficient bldgs. session) implying that individual household energy self-sufficiency is economically feasible in our urban location. I think the touting of such nonsense only serves to establish false expectations for many people who don't have the time and expertise to investigate such claims. The conservation-oriented discussions were great, but the topic can become very complex in short order. (While significant energy conservation and energy cost savings are possible given well thought out and effectively installed/implemented conservation improvements, there is also significant opportunity for the deterioration of indoor air quality, excess moisture and mold problems, health problems, and structural rot due to poorly designed and/or installed projects. ) In general, producing our own electricity at the individual household level in Minneapolis, using photovoltaic and wind conversion systems is simply not an economic alternative. Demonstration-type projects are fine and serve a valuable lesson in demonstrating feasibility, but they remain demos. Installing many wind generating systems on tall towers throughout the city is not a viable solution due primarily to noise, electrical interference and other general safety concerns, plus cost. Photovoltaic systems are costly and require direct sunlight which we have in limited quantity during much of the year. In general, energy conservation and efficiency improvements remain our best low-cost option at the individual household level, and passive solar can sometimes be used to economic advantage. (Please note that I thoroughly support the development of rural wind farms to supply electricity to the grid, which makes sense economically and environmentally. Biomass is another renewable option that makes sense in many situations.) Mike Hohmann 13th > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of > Annie Young > Sent: Monday, January 28, 2002 9:47 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [Mpls] Sust Enviro Conference > > > I have been quite surprised at the lack of comments from folks about last > Saturday's Neighborhood Conference. With almost twice the > expected audience > in attendance and the Mayor driving a hybrid car and hearing the > workshops... snip > Annie Young > East Phillips > snip _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
